American_Pit_Bull
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This is close to where I grew up... 
Rifle team member dies after shooting...
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Thefabulousfink
Member
That's sad, it sounds like either a suicide or improper/unsupervised weapon handling. If it was a suicide, I feel for the family of the kid, but it probably would have been difficult to prevent.
If it was improper or unsupervised rifle handling, there is no excuse. I was on my school's rifle team back in college. The program was run by an active duty Marine Gunny from the NROTC program. Everything was done to military safety standards, the weapons were locked up when not in use, ammo was stored seperate, and you would allways check, re-check, and check again to make sure the weapon was clear. We had redundent levels of safety and had proper weapon hadling drilled into us until it was second nature. Because of these policies, there has never been a ND in our rifle team's history.
I hope that the school will mourn for the loss of their student, but not close their rifle range (mabey improve safety policies). I loved being on rifle team and took many positive experiences away from it, I would hate to see that oppertunity lost at anouther school.
If it was improper or unsupervised rifle handling, there is no excuse. I was on my school's rifle team back in college. The program was run by an active duty Marine Gunny from the NROTC program. Everything was done to military safety standards, the weapons were locked up when not in use, ammo was stored seperate, and you would allways check, re-check, and check again to make sure the weapon was clear. We had redundent levels of safety and had proper weapon hadling drilled into us until it was second nature. Because of these policies, there has never been a ND in our rifle team's history.
I hope that the school will mourn for the loss of their student, but not close their rifle range (mabey improve safety policies). I loved being on rifle team and took many positive experiences away from it, I would hate to see that oppertunity lost at anouther school.
I have to disagree that if a teen is suicidal that it's hard to prevent. I saw on dateline or 20/20 that said the majority of teen "suicide attempts" were failures. It's much easier to control a teen than it is an adult. But anyways, what a shame..
A similar incident happened at my HS about fifteen years ago, at that time the JROTC used .22 target rifles. Unfortunately after a team member was accidently shot in the leg the rifle program was shut down for a few years. When the program finally came back the .22's were taken out of service and replaced with high powered air rifles
My senior year I became rifle team cpt. and only myself and the SAI had access to the rifles and equipment, every item taken from the arms room was documented and the equipment could not leave the training area without supervision. Any properly functioning CMP can have accidents, but to be unsupervised or to have a rifle outside proper areas without supervision is just asking for trouble.
My senior year I became rifle team cpt. and only myself and the SAI had access to the rifles and equipment, every item taken from the arms room was documented and the equipment could not leave the training area without supervision. Any properly functioning CMP can have accidents, but to be unsupervised or to have a rifle outside proper areas without supervision is just asking for trouble.
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Father Knows Best
Member
I didn't see that particular report. I do know that far more women and girls attempt suicide, but more men actually commit suicide. Why? Because men overwhelmingly choose methods where death is highly likely, e.g., a gunshot to the head or jumping off a high building. Women, on the other hand, tend to choose methods where death is substantially less likely, such as swallowing a bunch of pills.
Similarly, I believe that statistics show that the "success" rate in suicide attempts is much lower among teenagers than it is among adults.
So why is that? One theory that has considerable evidence behind it is that many women, and many teenagers of both sexes, who attempt suicide don't really want to die. Rather, the suicide "attempt" is a cry for help, so they choose (consciously or subconsciously) methods that are not likely to result in their actual death.
Thus, the fact that "the majority of teen suicide attempts [are] failures", as you say, may result from the fact that a large number of those teenagers didn't really want to die. If they did, then they would be just as hard to "control" as adults who were intent on suicide, and they would likely be successful in offing themselves as adults.
Henry Bowman
Senior Member
Either way, suicide or accident, it will be tough on the school's shooting program due to cries from Nanny Nellies. I hope the police don't cover up a suidide as an accident "for the sake of the family." That does no one any favors, and (unfairly) makes the rifle team pay an even higher price.
Andras
Member
I was on the NJROTC rifle team in HS as well.
Our instructor kept the bolts separate from rifles until we were at the National Guard armory with the indoor range. Before we left the range, the bolts were removed from the rifles.
Our instructor kept the bolts separate from rifles until we were at the National Guard armory with the indoor range. Before we left the range, the bolts were removed from the rifles.
Another safety item is to use Open Bolt Indicators in the guns all the time until they are pointed downrange in the shooting postion. The OBI is inserted at the conclusion of the target and it remains in the chamber during all other times. A pain, yes but better than dealing with a tragedy.
Gafer said:
True, always good for "safety". However, IF it was a suicide it would have been of no use as it can simply be removed by the gun handler.
Andras said:
This would have been safe as well (even safer) and prevented the gun handler from further use of the weapon period.
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